The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
England Test vice-captain Ben Stokes’ Ashes in doubt after suspension
Fellow Test star Hales also banned over video footage
Ben Stokes’ Ashes winter appears to be in jeopardy after England suspended him and Alex Hales from international matches until further notice.
The pair will not be considered for selection, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced, after the governing body saw video footage published on the Sun newspaper’s website which allegedly shows Stokes throwing punches in a street fight.
Test vice-captain Stokes, selected in England’s Ashes squad on Wednesday, was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm after disorder in the Clifton Triangle area of Bristol in the early hours of Monday.
Stokes was released without charge later that day but has remained under investigation by Avon and Somerset Police ever since, while Hales returned voluntarily to Bristol on Tuesday to provide further evidence about the incident.
In a statement yesterday afternoon, the ECB said: “Ben Stokes and Alex Hales will not be considered for selection for England international matches until further notice.
“Each remains on full pay pending further ECB investigation and the ongoing police investigation into an incident in Bristol in the early hours of Monday September 25.
“Andrew Strauss, director of England Cricket, will today refer the internal disciplinary procedure for these two players to the Cricket Discipline Commission, chaired by Tim O’Gorman.”
Stokes’ status as vice-captain, as well as his Ashes prospects, appears to be under major threat.
TV presenter Piers Morgan, an acquaintance of several cricketers, claimed in Twitter posts that he heard Stokes found trouble when he went to help two men being subjected to homophobic abuse.
Strauss revealed the ECB was initiating its own internal disciplinary investigation, not just into Stokes’ and Hales’ behaviour as they celebrated Sunday’s Royal London Series win over West Indies in Bristol but that of several other players who accompanied them.
England have called batsman Dawid Malan into their ODI squad after Hales’ confirmed absence from the final match of the summer today at the Ageas Bowl, where the hosts bid to complete a 4-0 victory over the Windies.